Results from AJC’s 2020 Survey of American Jewish Opinion, conducted by the research company SSRS, is based on telephone interviews carried out September 9 – October 4, 2020, with a national sample of 1,334 Jews over age 18. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. AJC is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor endorses candidates for elective offices.
Past AJC surveys of American Jewish opinion: 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
1. If the presidential election were held today, for whom would you most likely vote?
| Joe Biden | 75% |
| Donald Trump | 22% |
| Someone else | 2% |
| Will not vote | 1% |
| No opinion | 2% |
AJC’s 2016 Survey of American Jewish Opinion found that American Jews were most likely to vote for Hilary Clinton (61%), followed by Donald Trump (19%), Gary Johnson (6%), and Jill Stein (3%). Click here to view the AJC 2016 Survey of American Jewish Opinion.
2. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is doing his job as president?
| Approve strongly | 15% |
| Approve somewhat | 7% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 4% |
| Disapprove strongly | 73% |
AJC’s 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion found that 26% of American Jews had a favorable impression of the job President Trump is doing and 71% had an unfavorable impression. Click here to view the AJC 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion.
3. Which of the following is the most important issue for you in deciding how you will vote in the 2020 presidential election?
| The COVID-19 pandemic | 26% |
| Health care | 17% |
| The economy | 13% |
| Race relations | 12% |
| Crime | 6% |
| Foreign Policy | 5% |
| Or some other issue | 20% |
AJC’s 2016 Survey of American Jewish Opinion found that American Jews considered the economy (29%), terrorism and national security (16%), an issue not named (12%), and foreign policy (10%) as the most important issues. Click here to view the AJC 2016 Survey of American Jewish Opinion.
4. Which of the following is the second most important issue for you in deciding how you will vote in the 2020 Presidential Election?
| Health care | 20% |
| The COVID-19 pandemic | 18% |
| Race relations | 17% |
| The economy | 16% |
| Foreign Policy | 11% |
| Crime | 5% |
| Or some other issue | 12% |
5. Which of the two major party candidates for president would be better at combating terrorism?
| Donald Trump | 26% |
| Joe Biden | 71% |
| Neither/Don't Know | 3% |
6. Which of the two major party candidates for president would be better at uniting the country?
| Donald Trump | 15% |
| Joe Biden | 79% |
| Neither/Don't Know | 6% |
7. Which of the two major party candidates for president would be better at strengthening U.S.-Israel relations?
| Donald Trump | 42% |
| Joe Biden | 54% |
| Neither/Don't Know | 4% |
8. Which of the two major party candidates for president would be better at dealing effectively with Iran?
| Donald Trump | 27% |
| Joe Biden | 71% |
| Neither/Don't Know | 3% |
9. Which of the two major party candidates for president would be better at handling the COVID-19 pandemic?
| Donald Trump | 19% |
| Joe Biden | 78% |
| Neither/Don't Know | 3% |
10. Which of the two major party candidates for president would be better at combating antisemitism in the U.S.?
| Donald Trump | 22% |
| Joe Biden | 75% |
| Neither/Don't Know | 3% |
11. Which of the two major party candidates for president would be better at handling crime?
| Donald Trump | 24% |
| Joe Biden | 72% |
| Neither/Don't Know | 4% |
12. In the presidential election of 2016, for whom did you vote?
| Hillary Clinton | 62% |
| Donald Trump | 16% |
| Another candidate | 7% |
| Did not vote | 14% |
AJC’s 2016 Survey of American Jewish Opinion found that American Jews were most likely to vote for Hilary Clinton (61%), followed by Donald Trump (19%), Gary Johnson (6%), and Jill Stein (3%). Click here to view the AJC 2016 Survey of American Jewish Opinion.
13. How important is being connected with Israel to your Jewish identity?
| Very important | 29% |
| Somewhat important | 30% |
| Not too important | 24% |
| Not at all important | 17% |
In AJC’s 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion, 62% of respondents agreed that “Caring about Israel is a very important part of my being a Jew” while 35% disagreed and 2% had no opinion. Click here to view the AJC 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion.
14. How would you characterize the U.S.-Israel relationship today?
| Very strong | 33% |
| Fairly strong | 53% |
| Fairly weak | 9% |
| Very weak | 3% |
| No opinion | 2% |
15. Compared to one year ago, how do you feel about the prospects for peace between Israel and the Arab world?
| More optimistic | 37% |
| Less optimistic | 13% |
| Hasn’t been much change | 49% |
| Don’t Know/Refused | 1% |
16. Compared to one year ago, how do you feel about the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians?
| More optimistic | 16% |
| Less optimistic | 28% |
| Hasn’t been much change | 55% |
| Don’t Know/Refused | 1% |
17. In politics today, do you consider yourself…
| Republican | 14% |
| Democrat | 53% |
| Independent | 25% |
| Other | 8% |
AJC’s 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion found that 49% of American Jews consider themselves to be Democrats, 20% consider themselves to be independents, 19% Republicans, and 12% other. Click here to view the AJC 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion.
18. Where would you place yourself on this scale?
| Liberal | 39% |
| Lean Liberal | 18% |
| Moderate, Middle of the Road | 25% |
| Lean Conservative | 7% |
| Conservative | 10% |
19. How important is being Jewish in your life?
| Very important | 39% |
| Somewhat important | 41% |
| Not too important | 16% |
| Not at all important | 5% |
In AJC’s 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion, 41% of American Jews said “very important.” “somewhat important” received 35%, “not too important” received 17%, and “not at all important” received 7%. Click here to view the AJC 2019 Survey of American Jewish Opinion.
20. Do you identify as…?
| Orthodox | 9% |
| Conservative | 12% |
| Reform | 27% |
| Reconstructionist | 4% |
| Secular | 43% |
| Don’t Know/Refused | 5% |
21. What is your current marital status?
| Unmarried | 47% |
| Married to a born Jew | 25% |
| Married to a convert to Judaism | 3% |
| Married to a non-Jew | 25% |
22. Are you registered to vote at your present address, or not?
| Yes | 94% |
| No | 6% |
